Pill holder

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush sheath with an integrated pill sheet holder, the sheath comprising a brush cavity configured to accept and hold a toothbrush for use by a user and a cavity shaped to accept pill sheets of various sizes. Also described is an electric or manual toothbrush with an integrated pill sheet holder, the handle of the toothbrush comprising a pill sheet cavity shaped to accept pill sheets of various Sizes. Also described is a static toothbrush holding unit with a base having a designated space for holding the toothbrush and a built-in ejectable tray for holding pill sheets.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a pill sheet holder. In particular, theinvention relates to a pill sheet holder integrated in a toothbrush,toothbrush sheath and a static toothbrush holding unit.

BACKGROUND

Many people take tablets daily, for treatment or for preventativereasons. Most tablets are not taken more than twice a day. Commonlytaken tablets include the contraceptive pill, vitamin or mineralsupplements and anti-materials for travel.

‘Compliance’ with medication regimens means taking the correct number oftablets at the correct time. Compliance has emerged as a major problemand studies have shown that as many as 50% of all prescriptions aretaken incorrectly, 30% of adult hospital admissions are in some wayrelated to compliance issues and that non-compliance results in twice asmany deaths as road traffic accidents (in the USA). Non-compliance hasbeen reported to cost an estimated £60 billion a year worldwide. It hasalso been reported that over 60% of women forget to take a prescribeddaily contraceptive pill at least once a month and that a single missedpill reduces its effectiveness from 98% to 80%.

One of the main reasons for non-compliance is simply forgetting to takethe medication. In the case of preventative pills, there are noimmediate adverse symptoms to remind the user to take them. However,without consistent compliance the original objective of the pill takingis unlikely to be achieved.

Efforts have been made to improve the compliance and convenience oftaking pills through various approaches including pill boxes, pillorganisers and pill dispensers. However, the basic problem of usershaving to remember to take the pills still exists, even with suchstandalone devices. The majority of pill holders on sale are crude andbulky because they are designed predominantly for the elderly who arecommonly on multiple medications and may have poor vision and dexterity.

Moreover, prior art devices involve the removal of the pills from theoriginal packaging and handling/manipulation of the pills days or weeksbefore they actually need to be taken which is inconvenient.Additionally, if the pills are not properly sealed then moisture ingressmay damage them and impair their function.

In summary, compliance with dosing regimes is not currently supported byexisting product designs. There is, therefore, a requirement for asimple, efficient and effective pill dispensing and reminder system.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not an extensive overview of thedisclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the invention or delineate the scope of theinvention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed hereinin a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description thatis presented later.

There is provided a toothbrush sheath with an integrated pill sheetholder, the sheath comprising a brush cavity configured to accept andhold a toothbrush for use by a user and a pill sheet cavity shaped toaccept pill sheets of various sizes.

There is also provided a toothbrush with an integrated pill sheetholder, the handle of the toothbrush comprising a pill sheet cavityshaped to accept pill sheets of various sizes.

There is also provided a static toothbrush holding unit comprising abrush cavity for holding a toothbrush and a built-in ejectable tray forholding pill sheets.

The toothbrush sheath may have dense foam-like material in the brushcavity for holding toothbrushes of various handle sizes.

The outer body of the toothbrush sheath or toothbrush may incorporatetransparent panels. The transparent panels may have the advantage offacilitating visualisation of the contained pill sheet.

The toothbrush sheath or toothbrush may comprise a means for ejectingthe pill sheet from the pill sheet cavity.

The pill sheet cavity may comprise one or more arc shaped cavities. Thepill sheet cavity may comprise one or more V-shaped cavities.Preferably, the pill sheet cavity may comprise at least one arc shapedcavity and at least one V-shaped cavity.

The pill sheet cavity may comprise more than one distinct cavities.Alternatively, the pill sheet cavity may comprise more than oneoverlapping cavities.

An insert, preferably made of plastic, may be provided for insertioninto the pill sheet cavity to reduce its width. The insert may have theadvantage of allowing thin pill sheets to be gripped.

The toothbrush sheath or toothbrush may be provided with a cover for thepill sheet cavity. The cover may be transparent or translucent. Thetransparent or translucent cover may allow the pill sheet whichprotrudes out of the cavity to be directly visualised.

Preferably, the cover is in the form of a cup, such as a plasticscrew-on or clip-on cup. Preferably, the cover will have a flat stablebase allowing the toothbrush sheath or toothbrush to be stood upright.The cover may also function to hold pills, or liquid for taking thosepills.

The toothbrush sheath or toothbrush may be provided with display means,such as a display screen, for displaying pill usage and/or promptingpill usage. The display may be a LCD. The display may automaticallyupdate. The automatic update may be by means of a catch mechanismtriggered every time the pill sheet is withdrawn or reinserted afteruse.

The toothbrush sheath or toothbrush may be provided with buttons tomanually change the monitoring display on the display means.

The toothbrush sheath or toothbrush may also be provided with a speakerthat can emit alarms or pre-recorded messages, before, during or afterbrushing. There may be additional alerting mechanisms

The toothbrush may be a manual or an electric toothbrush.

The static toothbrush holding unit may be adapted to take either manualor electric toothbrushes.

Adaptor pieces may be provided that click into the toothbrush cavity ofthe static toothbrush holding unit allowing compatibility withtoothbrushes of various diameters.

Ejection of the pill sheet tray in the static toothbrush holding unitmay be triggered every time the toothbrush is lifted from the holder.Ejection of the tray may be triggered by a catch mechanism in the brushcavity. Alternatively, the brush cavity could incorporate a light sensorwhich is stimulated when the toothbrush is lifted out, completing acircuit and prompting ejection.

The static toothbrush holding unit adapted to take electric toothbrushesmay also act as a charging device for the electric toothbrush.

The static toothbrush holding unit may be provided with display means,such as a display screen, for displaying pill usage and/or promptingpill usage. The display may be a LCD. The display may automaticallyupdate. The automatic update may be by means of a catch or light sensormechanism triggered every time the toothbrush is lifted from the holdingunit.

The static toothbrush holding unit may be provided with a speaker thatcan emit alarms or pre-recorded messages, before, during or afterbrushing. There may be additional alerting mechanisms.

The static toothbrush holding unit may incorporate a wall mounting unit.

The preferred features may be combined as appropriate, as would beapparent to a skilled person, and may be combined with any of theaspects of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a manual toothbrush and atoothbrush sheath with and without the manual toothbrush inserted;

FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of a replaceable toothbrush headand a manual toothbrush with built-in cavity shown with and without thereplaceable toothbrush head attached;

FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of an electric toothbrush withbuilt-in cavity;

FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of a toothbrush sheath, with a pillsheet inserted and a manual toothbrush partially inserted;

FIG. 5 shows cross sectional views of two possible shapes for a pillsheet cavity, (A) Arc shaped and (B) V-shaped;

FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional view of a combined arc and V-shaped pillsheet cavity;

FIGS. 7 (A) to (C) show three cross sectional views of a pill sheetcavity with the corresponding perspective views of a portion of atoothbrush/toothbrush sheath with such pill sheet cavities accommodatingpill sheets in various configurations (including cut strips of pills);

FIG. 8 shows two types of pills sheet: (A) a pill sheet that cannot befolded down the centre due to the non-symmetric/non-parallel arrangementof the pills, and (B) a pill sheet that can be folded down the centredue to the parallel and symmetric arrangement of the pills. Also showinga central ridge that aids folding;

FIG. 9 shows three perspective views of a portion of atoothbrush/toothbrush sheath showing: (A) a pill sheet cavity and a pillsheet prior to insertion, (B) a pill sheet being inserted into thecavity, and (C) a pill sheet fully inserted into the cavity and aremovable cover for the base, prior to attachment;

FIG. 10 shows an insert that is designed to be slotted into a pill sheetcavity in order to reduce its width;

FIG. 11 shows two front views of a toothbrush/toothbrush sheathcontaining a pill sheet visible through a transparent panel, with adisplay screen, manual handling and ejector buttons;

FIG. 12 shows: (A) a static toothbrush holding unit for manualtoothbrushes; (B) a static toothbrush holding unit for electrictoothbrushes; and (C) a static toothbrush holding unit with adaptorpieces;

FIG. 13 shows an alternative wall mountable design for a statictoothbrush holding unit;

FIG. 14 shows ejection of the pill sheet tray in the static toothbrushholding unit; and

FIG. 15 shows the ejected pill sheet tray holding multiple pill sheets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention are described below by way ofexample only. These examples represent the best ways of putting theinvention into practice that are currently known to the Applicantalthough they are not the only ways in which this could be achieved. Thedescription sets forth the functions of the example and the sequence ofsteps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same orequivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by differentexamples.

A convenient method of providing a reminder to take regular medicationwould be to combine the medication-taking with an act that the user isalready practiced at performing everyday. The invention addresses theproblematic issue of medication compliance by combining pill taking withthe established daily routine of brushing one's teeth. Simply picking upthe toothbrush automatically reminds the user to take the pill andmoreover the pill is immediately accessible. The ready availability ofwater for tooth brushing means that the user can immediately take thepills when reminded and the chances of delay and forgetfulness arefurther reduced.

Devices according to the current invention include a toothbrush sheath,toothbrush and static toothbrush holding unit all with integrated pillsheet holding cavities shaped to accommodate pill sheets of differingsizes. The devices of the invention are easy to use due to the simpleand efficient design.

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of toothbrush sheath 10 withbuilt-in pill sheet cavity 11 that is designed to have a manualtoothbrush 12 inserted into it according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of a manual toothbrush 20 withbuilt-in pill sheet cavity 21 and replaceable brush head 22 according toan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a front perspective view of an electric toothbrush 30 withbuilt-in pill sheet cavity 31, again with replaceable brush heads 32according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of toothbrush sheath 10 according toan embodiment of the invention. Pill sheet cavity 11 of sheath 10 isconfigured to hold pill sheets 40 of various sizes. The ability toaccept pill sheets 40 of various sizes reduces the inconvenience oftaking pills out of their packaging to arrange in a pill dispenser andalso protects the pills from unnecessary manual handling or moistureingress before they are removed for ingestion. This is an advantage ofthe invention and is a significant improvement over available deviceswhere pills have to be removed from the packaging. The available devicesalso have no means for accommodating pill sheets of various sizes withinthe available space. In devices of the present invention, pills remainin their original waterproof packaging right until the moment ofingestion.

Hereinafter, for clarity, the toothbrush sheath, manual toothbrush, andelectric toothbrush embodiments will be described by the generic word‘device’ and that word should be construed accordingly.

The cavity 11, 21, 31 is a combination of overlapping arc shaped 50 andV-shaped 51 cavities arranged to accept pill sheets 40 of various sizesas shown in further detail in FIGS. 5 and 6. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 5, the device 10, 20, 30 may comprise independent arc 50 orV-shaped 51 pill sheet cavities. These independent cavities may beincorporated in various forms into the device 11, 21, 31. The arc shapedcavity 50 will be suitable for pill sheets that cannot easily be foldeddue to an irregular (non-parallel/non-symmetrical) arrangement of thepills along the pill sheet (See FIG. 8(A)). The V-shaped cavity 51 issuitable for accommodating pill sheets that have a parallel andsymmetrical pill arrangement (FIG. 8(B)) and therefore can be foldeddown the centre prior to insertion. Where it is not critical that theentire pill sheet remains intact (as is required for the contraceptivepill), the V-shape also allows two separate cut strips of pills of thesame or different varieties to be inserted into each arm of the V-shapedcavity. FIGS. 7(A) to (C) show how cavity 11, 21, 31 in one embodimentof the invention is able to accommodate various configurations of pillsheets 40. These configurations, as explained, include curved, foldedand cut strips of pill sheets.

Bending the pill sheet is easy due to the foil covered malleable plasticwhich usually forms pill sheets. There is often a ridge down the centreof the pill sheet (a remnant of the manufacturing process) thatfacilitates easy folding. Folding, is however, possible without theridge. The folding of the pill sheet allows the cavity 11, 21, 31 toaccommodate pill sheets of a larger width than the limited diameter ofthe sheath or toothbrush handle. Moreover, pill sheet 40 when bent tofit into the arc shape 50 of cavity 11, 21, 31 or folded to fit into theV-shape 51 of cavity 11, 21, 31 may naturally open and press against thesides of the cavity 11, 21, 31 thereby creating resilient friction whichhelps to hold pill sheet 40 in place.

The pill sheet cavity 11, 21, 31 or cavities are designed to allow theinsertion of pill sheets containing relatively large pills. FIG. 10shows a hollow insert 100, preferably made of plastic, that may beprovided and that can be slotted into the opening, reducing its widthfor a tighter fit of pill sheets containing smaller sized pills.

A transparent removable cover 13 covers the pill sheet cavity 11, 21,31. This cover 13 provides an additional waterproof protective layer toprevent any moisture ingress. Removable cover 13 may be in the form of acup, such as a plastic screw-on or clip-on cup, which doubles as a pillpot into which the pill can be deposited as it is pushed out of the pillsheet. Furthermore, it can also be filled with water to aid ingestion ofa pill. Cover 13 also allows the device 10, 20, 30 to be stood upright.

Moreover, the transparent nature of cover 13 allows the pill sheet,which is protruding a few centimetres out of the pill sheet cavity 11,21, 31, to be visualised. This serves as an additional simple visualreminder to the user.

In one embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 11, the deviceincorporates transparent longitudinal panels 110 through which the pillsin pill sheet 40 or sheets contained in pill sheet cavity 11, 21, 31 canbe viewed. Such transparent panels 110 in the device 10, 20, 30 bothserve a reminder function when the device 10, 20, 30 is picked up andgive the user the additional advantage of seeing how many pills areremaining on the pill sheet.

The cavity 11, 21, 31 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 maycontain compressible dense foam-like material. This foam-like materialwill form a grip around toothbrushes of various handle shapes ordiameters and therefore enable insertion and holding of manualtoothbrushes in sheath 10.

FIG. 9(A) to 9(C) shows a perspective view of the lower portion of thedevice 10, 20, 30 with cavity 11, 21, 31 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. FIG. 9(A) shows pill sheet 40 before insertion intocavity 11, 21, 31. FIG. 9(B) shows folded pill sheet 40 being insertedinto cavity 11, 21, 31 of the device 10, 20, 30. FIG. 9(C) shows pillsheet 40 in place in cavity 11, 21, 31 of the device 10, 20, 30.Removable cover 13 which will cover cavity 11, 21, 31 is also shown.

An ejector mechanism 41 provided on the device, and shown in FIG. 4,assists the user in ejecting pill sheet 40 from cavity 11, 21, 31.Ejector mechanism 41, which may be in the form of a slideable button,can be pushed towards the base of the device to eject pill sheet 40 andmoves away from the base as pill sheet 40 is inserted into cavity 11,21, 31.

FIG. 11 shows two front views of the device 10, 20, 30 according to anembodiment of the invention with features such as display screen 111,for example a LCD, manual handling buttons 112, ejector button 41 andtransparent panel 110. Cover 13 through which pill sheet 40 is visibleis also shown.

Display screen 111 shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 11 is used to monitorand prompt pill usage. The display on the display screen 111 may beupdated automatically via a catch mechanism triggered every time pillsheet 40 is removed or reinserted after use. Buttons 112 can be used tomanually change the display on display screen 111 if necessary.

There may be alert functions in the form of a flashing light, alarm orrecorded voice message. There may be an in-built speaker and/ormicrophone. Messages may be pre-recorded by the user.

Display screen 111, which may be automatically or manually updated,displays the day, date and/or time that the user needs to take anotherpill. Alternatively, display screen 111 may display the day, date and/ortime when the user last took a pill. Other information such as number ofpills remaining on the pill sheet or the pill number (useful in the caseof the contraceptive pill) may also be displayed. For example, displayscreen 111 in this embodiment (FIG. 11) is displaying that the user ison Day 2 of the pill regime and should take the next pill before noon onMonday. Buttons 112 enable the user to manually modify the display inthe event that display screen 111 has been erroneously updated.

Display screen 111 and buttons 112 shown in this embodiment arepositioned on the upper body of the device thereby making the displayless vulnerable to accidental tampering during use of the toothbrush.Alternative placement of these features in a different position and in adifferent layout is, of course, possible.

The toothbrush sheath 10 described in this section may be more suitableto use with manual toothbrushes as compared to electronic toothbrushesin view of size considerations. However, it could be easily adapted tobe used with electric toothbrushes.

FIGS. 12(A) to (C) show a static toothbrush holding unit which has abrush cavity 120 in the base unit 121 to hold a toothbrush 122, 123. InFIG. 12(A) the unit is adapted to hold a manual toothbrush 123 while inFIG. 12(B) the unit is adapted to hold an electric toothbrush 122. FIG.12(C) shows a selection of adaptor pieces 124 that fit into brush cavity120 in base unit 121 to allow the base unit 121 to be adapted to holddifferent sizes and types of toothbrushes.

As explained above, electronic display panel 125 shown in FIGS. 12(A) to(C) is used to monitor and prompt pill usage. There may be alertfunctions in the form of a flashing light, alarm or recorded voicemessage. There may be an in-built speaker and/or microphone 127.Messages may be pre-recorded by the user. Manual override and settingsbuttons 126 allow the user to change the display 125 and set the alertfunctions on electronic panel 125.

The static toothbrush holding unit adapted to hold electric toothbrushes122 can also be used as a charging device for the electric toothbrush122.

The static toothbrush holding unit can be formed as a wall mountableunit 130 as shown in FIG. 13 wherein portion 131 of the holder can bemounted vertically on the wall and the base unit of the holder extendshorizontally. There is a hollow brush cavity 132 in base unit 130 forholding the toothbrush and dense foam-like material lining cavity 132 toenable the holder to grip manual toothbrushes of various sizes. The wallmounting unit 130 may be adapted to hold and charge electrictoothbrushes.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show an ejectable tray 140 of the static toothbrushholding unit containing pill sheets 141. Every time the toothbrush 142is lifted out of brush cavity 120, the ejection of the pill sheet tray140 is triggered. The ejection of the pill sheet tray 140 may betriggered by a catch mechanism in brush cavity 120. Alternatively, brushcavity 120 could incorporate a light sensor which is stimulated when thetoothbrush is lifted, completing a circuit. As the tray 140 is ejected,the user is prompted to remove the pill sheet, take a pill, reinsert thepill sheet and push the tray back into the holder.

An advantage of this aspect of the invention is that the tray 140provides ample space to hold pills of various sizes in pill sheets ofvarious sizes and, as shown in FIG. 15, can also hold multiple layers ofpill sheets for people on more than one type of tablet.

Throughout the present text the term “pill sheet” is used to refer tothe packaging containing pills whether in blister pack or container withhard plastic edge available in the trade or in any other form.

It will be understood that the term “distinct cavities” refers tocavities that are independent of each other and do not intersect at anypoint.

It will be understood that the term “overlapping cavities” refers tocavities that intersect at one or more points.

Any reference to ‘a’ or ‘the’ item refers to one or more of those items.

It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described abovemay relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments. Theembodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the statedproblems or those that have any or all of the stated benefits andadvantages.

It will be understood that the above description of a preferredembodiment is given by way of example only and that variousmodifications may be made by those skilled in the art. Although variousembodiments have been described above with a certain degree ofparticularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments,those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to thedisclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of thisinvention.

1.-18. (canceled)
 19. A toothbrush sheath, the toothbrush sheathcomprising a brush cavity configured to accept and hold a toothbrush anda pill sheet cavity shaped to accept at least one pill sheet.
 20. Thetoothbrush sheath of claim 19, comprising: at least one foam-likematerial adapted to grip and hold the toothbrush in the toothbrushsheath.
 21. The toothbrush sheath of claim 19, comprising: at least onetransparent panel on the outer body of the toothbrush sheath.
 22. Thetoothbrush sheath of claim 19, comprising an ejector mechanism forejecting the pill sheet from the pill sheet cavity.
 23. The toothbrushsheath of claim 19, wherein the pill sheet cavity comprises one or morearc shaped cavities.
 24. The toothbrush sheath of claim 19, wherein thepill sheet cavity comprises one or more V-shaped cavities.
 25. Thetoothbrush sheath of claim 19, wherein the pill sheet cavity comprisesat least one arc shaped cavity and at least one V-shaped cavity.
 26. Thetoothbrush sheath of claim 19, wherein the pill sheet cavity comprisesmore than one distinct cavity.
 27. The toothbrush sheath of claim 19,wherein the pill sheet cavity comprises more than one overlappingcavity.
 28. The toothbrush sheath of claim 19, comprising: at least oneinsert for insertion into the pill sheet cavity to reduce its width. 29.The toothbrush sheath of claim 19, comprising: a cover for the pillsheet cavity.
 30. The toothbrush sheath of claim 29, wherein the coveris transparent or translucent.
 31. The toothbrush sheath of claim 29,wherein the cover is in the form of a cup.
 32. The toothbrush sheath ofclaim 1, comprising: a display that displays at least one of (i) pillusage information and (ii) a prompt.
 33. The toothbrush sheath of claim32, wherein the pill usage information is at least one of a day, a date,and a time a user needs to take at least one pill.
 34. The toothbrushsheath of claim 32, wherein the pill usage information is at least oneof a day, a date, and a time a user last took at least one pill.
 35. Thetoothbrush sheath of claim 32, wherein the prompt is at least one of aflashing light, an alarm, and a recorded message.
 36. The toothbrushsheath of claim 32, comprising: a catch mechanism in communication withthe display, wherein the display is automatically updated, via the catchmechanism, based upon at least one of: (i) removal of a pill sheet fromthe pill sheet cavity, and (ii) insertion of a pill sheet into the pillsheet cavity.
 37. The toothbrush sheath of claim 32, comprising: atleast one button adapted to modify the display.